Forever – Behind the Cover

ast year, I had the opportunity to work on a cover of Hillsong United’s “Oceans” with my close friends Luke, Kristine, and Jazon. It was one of the highlights of my sophomore year because it was the first time that we decided to use our joint talents and interests to create something really beautiful and glorifying to God. After releasing Oceans, we knew that working on a second cover was something that we would want to do. With this second project, we had much more time to brainstorm and plan in order to put together a cover that would be even bigger and more detailed than Oceans. However, while we hoped to expand our production, the heart and goal behind the second cover was exactly the same. No matter what we produced, our aim was to create something that would be full of worship and completely Christ centered.

The biggest question of course was which song would we be covering this time around? Over the summer, we added songs to a collaborative playlist to get the ball rolling. When we finally got together in the fall, we narrowed those songs down until we were left with two that weren’t even on the list. We decided to spend a couple days listening to both, reading scripture, and praying over which to do. Eventually, after weighing the various pros and cons, we agreed that we wanted the cover to uniquely share the powerful message of the gospel, which is why decided on Kari Jobe’s “Forever“.

With everything that we were doing, we wanted to make sure that it was of the highest quality in order to give the best to the best God. One of the biggest blessings of the weekend was being able to use Pyramid Sound Studios, a beautiful state of the art space, in downtown Ithaca. In addition to using the studio space, we also increased the number of people within our team. My favorite part of the weekend was working with so many of my dear friends from Ithaca College as well as being able to make new friends from the New York State area. Together, we were a team of over fifteen young people representing over seven different churches and over five colleges. Even though most of us only knew a handful of people within the group, the studio was filled with great vibes and everyone grew comfortable with one another quickly.

When the team wasn’t grabbing snacks or talking about how much we loved Jimmy Fallon’s ‘EW’ skits, most of the group was in the studio worshipping. I got the chance to sit in the recording room during each take and was amazed by how a room full of unfamiliar people could worship so purely together simply because they were united in their love for the Lord. I think I can speak for Luke, Kristine, and Jazon when I say that we were truly honored to be able to work and worship with such amazing brothers and sisters in Christ.

Our hope for this video is that people will not walk away moved by the quality of video or sound, but that they will be encouraged, renewed, and transformed by the message of the gospel. We want as many people as possible to hear about the Son of God who died on our behalf and rose victoriously. It is through his death that we have been made alive and without Him, we truly have nothing. Much love was poured into this video so we hope that you will check it out and our prayer is that he may forever be glorified because he is, indeed, alive!

Hello

My name is Carissa

When I'm not dreaming about food or scribbling in notebooks, I'm coordinating events in DC and figuring out newly married life. As I explore new cities, take on projects, and try to learn as much as I can, I consider this a space to share all the gifts of grace that I find along the way. Hope you find something too!